24 AUGUST 2016

Ø  Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing “deep concern and pain” over the situation in Kashmir, Home Minister Rajnath Singh will undertake a two-day visit to the Valley from Wednesday. The Home Minister will review the situation and may hold talks with a cross section of people. A senior Home Ministry official said Mr. Singh would not extend an exclusive invitation to the separatists but he would welcome anyone who comes to meet him during his stay there. This is his second visit in a month to the Valley which has been witnessing unrest since July 8 when Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani was killed in an encounter with security forces. During his visit, Mr. Singh is also likely to emphasise the various development projects and employment schemes undertaken for the youth in the Valley.

Ø  The Home Ministry has constituted a three-member committee to expedite the procedures required to place Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar, Bhatkal resident Shafi Armar, who is now said to be the media chief of the Islamic State, Hizbul Mujahiddeen chief Syed Salahuddin and nine others on the United Nations list of proscribed terrorists. The move comes after several rounds of file movement between the Home and the External Affairs Ministries blaming each other for the delay in sending the proposal to the 1267 Taliban/Al-Qaeda sanctions committee. After China put a technical hold on designating Masood Azhar as an international terrorist in April this year, India decided to send a robust proposal to the U.N. committee.

Ø  The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Tuesday directed a Panama-based shipping company and its two Qatar-based sister concerns to pay Rs. 100 cr as damages for causing an oil spill when a cargo vessel sank off Mumbai coast in 2011. Fined for adversely affecting the marine ecology, a bench headed by NGT Chairperson Swatanter Kumar also ordered the Gujarat-based Adani Enterprises Ltd to pay Rs. 5 crore as environmental compensation for dumping in the seabed 60054 MT coal, being carried by the ship M V RAK, and polluting the marine environment.

Ø  Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi here and requested him to send a team of experts to assess the “unprecedented” situation in the State and prompt action on a national silt management policy.

Ø  India’s consistent stand that Dawood Ibrahim is based in Pakistan has got a virtual endorsement from the U.N., which has confirmed six addresses of the underworld don in that country. The listing of the UN Security Council’s ISIL and Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee also includes information about Dawood’s various passports, including those issued in Pakistan.

Ø  The Centre has formed a task force for a comprehensive study of the cadre structure of all Group ‘A’ Central Services and sought its report within three months. Coming close on the heels of the implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission recommendations, it is a surprise development.

Ø  The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), it is learnt, is receptive to the idea of forming the proposed National Water Commission (NWC) by merging the Central Water Commission (CWC) and the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB). The NWC was the key recommendation of a report submitted last month by a committee headed by water expert Mihir Shah that was tasked with reorganising river water management in the country. Since 1945 the CWC has been tasked with managing surface water and its associated structures such as dams and barrages. The CGWB, on the other hand, is largely concerned with the quality of groundwater. The proposed NWC pushes for an integrated policy, greater cognisance of over-extraction of groundwater. It will also maintain environmental stability by ensuring States that share water do not draw from river basins more than what is ecologically tenable.

Ø  Soon after Myanmar’s State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi wrapped up her Beijing visit, Chinese state media has turned focus to Myanmar’s ties with India, pointing out that Naypyidaw is likely to strike a “balance” in its relationship with major powers.

Ø  The U.S. Postal Service on Monday said it will issue a Diwali postage stamp, meeting one of the long pending demands of Indian-American community here. The Diwali stamp is being issued as a “Forever” stamp, the U.S. Postal Service said in a statement. The first-day-of-issue dedication ceremony will take place at the Indian Consulate in New York City on October 5, the USPS said. Hinduism was the only major world religion, for which the USPS had not issued a postage stamp.